Central City is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Central City is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Colorado camping adventure.
Golden Gate Canyon State Park offers multiple campgrounds, cabins, yurts, RV sites, group sites, and a guest house. From Memorial Day to early October, there are 132 campsites in two campgrounds: Reverend’s Ridge and Aspen Meadow. Reverend’s Ridge offers 38 tent sites and 59 sites with electrical hook-ups. Facilities at Reverend’s Ridge include flush toilets, shower, ice machine, laundry facilities, and a dump station. Aspen Meadow offers 35 tent sites and vault toilets. As of January 1, 2019 both campgrounds will be Reservation Only. Golden Gate also offers 20 backcountry tent sites and four backcountry shelters. Our backcountry sites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis year-round. Please register for backcountry sites at the Visitor Center.
$18 - $90 / night
This recreation area is part of Chatfield Lake
Five miles north of Nederland, National Forest System Road (NFSR) 226, commonly known as Gordon Gulch, turns east off of Colorado Highway 72. NFSR 226 intersects other forest roads: NFSR 314, 228, 233 and their off-shoots. There are 15 numbered, designated campsites scattered along the road system within 1.5 miles east of Highway 72. Camping is permitted in designated sites only. Take care when driving in this area. Snow and mud can persist through most of the year. The free Boulder Ranger District Motor Vehicle Use Map displays National Forest System (NFS) routes open to motorized travel and is available online and at the Boulder Ranger District offfice.
Streams; treat water for drinking.
Situated between the mountains of Summit County and the bustling excitement of Denver. 141 full-service and premium sites available year round are level and paved. Pull-through and back-in sites are both available.
This recreation area is part of Bear Creek Lake
West Magnolia Trailhead provides access to eight miles of singletrack trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding west of the Peak-to-Peak Highway south of Nederland. An additional eight miles of Forest Roads are open seasonally (check the Road Status Table before your visit) to motorized and non-motorized activities. Along these roadways are designated campsites. Camping is allowed within 50 feet of the campsite markers. There are no facilities of any kind. The free Boulder Ranger District Motor Vehicle Use Map displays National Forest System (NFS) routes open to motorized travel and is available online and at the Boulder Ranger District offfice. Recreational shooting closures exist in this area. Click here for more information.
The Moraine Park Campground and Headquarters East Utility Project is underway. Moraine Park Campground is closed.
Rocky Mountain National Park has 355 miles (570 km) of hiking trails that range from flat lakeside strolls to steep mountain peak climbs. Visitors enjoy the park's various lake trails (Bear Lake, Cub Lake, Mills Lake), waterfall trails (Adams Falls, Alberta Falls, Ouzel Falls) and summit trails (Deer Mountain, Twin Sisters Peaks, Flattop Mountain). The park also offers some unforgettable scenic driving routes, including Trail Ridge Road and Old Fall River Road. Trail Ridge Road reaches 12,183 feet (3700 m) above sea level and is America's highest continuous highway. It climbs above the park's evergreen forests to its windswept alpine tundra, where visitors enjoy sweeping panoramic views of the surrounding peaks and valleys. Driving along the historic Old Fall River Road is like motoring through an earlier era. Constructed in 1920, this steep, one-way, uphill, gravel road punctuated by switchbacks quietly leads travelers from Horseshoe Park through the park's wilderness to Fall River Pass, 11,796 feet (3595 m) above sea level. Several visitor centers are within the park, offering ranger-led activities, education and history about the park, and seasonal nighttime programs.
A pleasant mix of Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine and the occasional Engelmann spruce forests the campground, offering partial shade in this open area. Grasses, shrubs and seasonal wildflowers fill the open meadows. Wildlife is plentiful in the park; mule deer and the majestic Rocky Mountain elk are the most commonly seen. Black bear, coyote, bighorn sheep and moose inhabit the region as well, but can be harder to stumble upon.
The town of Estes Park lies just outside the park's main east entrances, and is a short drive from Moraine Park Campground. Dining, shopping, rafting, fly fishing, horseback riding and golfing opportunities await. Lake Estes offers boating, sailboarding and fishing.
Please refer to Rules and Reservation Policies for information on changes and/or cancellations.
$60 / night
Clear Creek RV Park is owned and operated by the City of Golden and is located at 1400 10th Street. It offers a relaxed country-like setting within walking distance of historic downtown Golden. The RV park is open year-round, equipped with 22 full hook-ups, 11 50-amp electric only, 3 tent campsites, large clean restrooms, showers, laundry facilities and a dump station Come for quiet seclusion along the banks of Clear Creek, with easy access to downtown via the Clear Creek Trail. Situated in the heart of Golden with scenic views and the bubbling sounds of Clear Creek, the Clear Creek RV Park is the perfect getaway. Outdoor adventures await steps from your RV site including hiking trails, kayaking, tubing, fishing, parasailing, biking and more! Take a short stroll to historic downtown Golden, world class restaurants, shopping and cultural activities. Majority of our guests are repeat visitors! If you have any questions, our friendly and knowledgeable staff is here to help!
$32 - $80 / night
Golden Gate Canyon State Park offers multiple campgrounds, cabins, yurts, RV sites, group sites, and a guest house. From Memorial Day to early October, there are 132 campsites in two campgrounds: Reverend’s Ridge and Aspen Meadow. Reverend’s Ridge offers 38 tent sites and 59 sites with electrical hook-ups. Facilities at Reverend’s Ridge include flush toilets, shower, ice machine, laundry facilities, and a dump station. Aspen Meadow offers 35 tent sites and vault toilets. As of January 1, 2019 both campgrounds will be Reservation Only. Golden Gate also offers 20 backcountry tent sites and four backcountry shelters. Our backcountry sites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis year-round. Please register for backcountry sites at the Visitor Center.
$18 - $90 / night
Five miles north of Nederland, National Forest System Road (NFSR) 226, commonly known as Gordon Gulch, turns east off of Colorado Highway 72. NFSR 226 intersects other forest roads: NFSR 314, 228, 233 and their off-shoots. There are 15 numbered, designated campsites scattered along the road system within 1.5 miles east of Highway 72. Camping is permitted in designated sites only. Take care when driving in this area. Snow and mud can persist through most of the year. The free Boulder Ranger District Motor Vehicle Use Map displays National Forest System (NFS) routes open to motorized travel and is available online and at the Boulder Ranger District offfice.
Streams; treat water for drinking.
Situated between the mountains of Summit County and the bustling excitement of Denver. 141 full-service and premium sites available year round are level and paved. Pull-through and back-in sites are both available.
West Magnolia Trailhead provides access to eight miles of singletrack trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding west of the Peak-to-Peak Highway south of Nederland. An additional eight miles of Forest Roads are open seasonally (check the Road Status Table before your visit) to motorized and non-motorized activities. Along these roadways are designated campsites. Camping is allowed within 50 feet of the campsite markers. There are no facilities of any kind. The free Boulder Ranger District Motor Vehicle Use Map displays National Forest System (NFS) routes open to motorized travel and is available online and at the Boulder Ranger District offfice. Recreational shooting closures exist in this area. Click here for more information.
Traveler
Bumpy ride up, but we were able to do it in our car SLOWLY. Absolutely beautiful place. Lots of campsite options. I was under the impression fires were allowed, as there were fire pits, but signs everywhere stating no campfires. Columbine Lake is a pretty hefty hike from the trailhead, but so worth the view. Had the entire place to ourselves pretty much all Friday. Beautiful beautiful beautiful
Scout
Clean shower and rest room. Easy self check in.
Ranger
The road here has some gnarly washboards. I had to slow down to a crawl at points because it was thrashing my rig around so much. There is also one turn on the road where if you’re not careful, I could imagine getting stuck. However, the views are incredible and it was well worth the effort. Cell signal from Verizon is extremely good, I am getting 5G UWB and download speeds of 180mbps. There’s some cool hills to climb and many great views.
Guide
$35/night. What a wonderful place to camp under the stars. One of the cleanest NP campgrounds I’ve come across. Closed until May 2025.
Ranger
And in fact I believe they were KOA of the year 2023 or 2024. More expensive than we're used to, but has nice amenities. Sites level with concrete pads, fairly large. Some space between with trees. Nice metal patio furniture provided at each site(chairs, table, fire pit). Has decent showers, hot tubs, and off leash dog park. Inexpensive pancake breakfast and pizza/wings to your site are available, also an onsite store. Kind of at the top of a rise, so good views but also kind of chilly for July (60s/40s). Massive thunderstorms with hail and heavy rain two evengings (CO mountains tend to get afternoon t-storms). Communicate via text to let you know about goings on. Good radio station out of Idaho Springs KYGT 102.7 and 103.9
Ranger
Stayed in spot RV24. Easy access right off freeway and convenient to TPB start. Some nice small trails in area for easy walking. Mostly pine trees. Orderly, camp hosts seem inclined to enforce rules. Quiet.No campfire pits so no burning allowed at all and most folks seem to knock off early. Showers are available for.25/2 min with a 4 min max. Appeared old, clean.
For road cyclists: Good place to stay for Triple Bypass
Food aside: Cooked Hatch green chile sausage and added to Sprouts Hatch mac and cheese and put into burritos. Ate leftovers for breakfast. Low FQ (fart quotient).
Guide
Great trip. Beautiful campground. Beautiful scenery
Guide
Great trip. Beautiful campground. Beautiful scenery
Guide
I spent the night at Base Camp because the campgrounds North and South of Ned were full and it was dark and getting late. You have to be lucky with those ones to get one of the few good spots that are there. I have been to the convenience store at BC before and it was closer to Idaho Springs (I was going there the next day to meet a friend). $39 per night for a tent site is INSANE. I could have stealth camped and there was another spot I could’ve gone too but BC was close and I was tired. I guess that’s how they make their business. Begrudgingly it worked for what I needed.
Guide
The place fills up on the weekend. I drove through most of the trail system and did not find a spot. Came back during the week and took a closer spot so as not to risk it. Trash is everywhere. Multiple poop spots are within 100ft of the fire pit with copious amounts of used tp lying around. Trees are slashed, cut, and the forest is not doing well. There are multiple long term campsites here so watch out for squatters. I stayed near the start and then a bit deeper, which prompted me to take photos. I forget the site numbers but honestly it’s not looking good in most places. At the very back are what look like a few nicer spots because they are hard to get to with a non off-road vehicle. It breaks my heart how this campground exists.
Guide
Couldn’t find any spots over the weekend. Drove through the whole campground. There is an absurd amount of trash everywhere, especially at closer campsites. There are multiple ‘long term’ campsites by the looks of the trash, gear, and supplies left out. The forest is not in good shape either.
Came back mid week and stayed at site #4 because it was close and I did not want to roll the dice on not securing a spot again.
Keeping it brief: -I thought someone had been through my campsite when I was sleeping due to things moved -I might have met the squatter at the site. Couldn’t be sure, but determined there were red flags after talking to the guy and did not want to stick around to find out -so much trash it breaks my heart
The county needs to do something about this campsite and the similar one North of Ned.
Legend
Very clean, very well maintained. Large spaces near the lake.
Scout
I came on a Sunday afternoon before Columbus Day and there were plenty of spots open. Super close to town and stunning views.
TravelerGreat location with single tracks for hiking and mountain biking. Camping spots are well-marked. WiFi was decent. The sad part was the trash left behind from former encampments in some of the camping spots.
Guide
Two beat up, broken down cars at the entrance. Road is very rough, full of potholes from the start. Did not feel comfortable staying here.
Guide
Beautiful, but really need a compact 4x4 to get into and out of parking lot and there are tent sites only. We almost didn’t make it out with our 24 ft van (checked it out but didn’t stay overnight). Very crowded on a Saturday at 4:30pm.
Guide
Idk who did this but luckily there is service but anything nearby is outta the way. Says need permit online access filled it all out $10 plus camping. Dispersed without wheels requires a $4 fee too
Scout
Not super busy! Lots of open spaces when we arrived around 6pm.
Scout
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Traveler
I arrived after 6pm and the office was closed. However, self service was available. Though the only option was to pay by cash since the office was closed. Water Dump was not available and some toilets were closed. It has a great view of the lake from some spots, however, you can hear the road during night. Cell phone reception is poor but available.
GuideI came in October when the aspens and birch still had some leaves . Beautiful colors on bareus pass
Guide
Just one mile further up the road or so you will reach Destinated camp sites which I prefer.
Although I saw 5 camp cars parked on the side of the road (this is a Monday night) facing the cliff that night and like 2 the next morning when I left for work. I was jealous a little bit of their views
ScoutFinally, a nice campsite on a road that isn't horrible. There are 30+ designated, numbered, dispersed campsites on this road. Each of them have a parking area right along the road with a fire ring a short distance away surrounded by awesome rock outcroppings. The parking areas tend to be very unlevel and there are only a few that you can pull right up to your campsite. #6 had a level spot large enough for my van and the camping area just a few steps away. These are great campsites and the area is really awesome. After so many horrible roads and places closed, it was a blessing to find this spot. The road is a bit of a washboard, but that is nothing compared to most of the forest roads in Colorado. Highly recommended! Cell service with At&t in site 6 is decent. Calling is 2 bars. at least half of the sites are big rig friendly. All of the sites are 100% free.
Guide
This spot was really easy to get to and had at least one bar of service for Verizon and T Mobile. The spot was nice and secluded, but there was some trash left behind from previous campers:(
Traveler
A little off the beaten path and may need 4wd to get down and out from campsite. Overlooks the beautifulu valley and is amazing to Lake Granby on three horizon. A little windy up there and trees are burnt up but the view is worth it. Very secluded at this spot. Did see 4 or 5 other cars/campers at other spots but very spread out.
Traveler
My husband bought a new tent so we just wanted to find something kinda close to Denver but still beautiful for just a quick overnight trip. Our goal was Chinns lake but stupid Apple Maps took us here instead. It was still beautiful and there were a handful of spots still open for us. I wouldn’t recommend for a big group unless you get there early and claim the whole top but we really enjoyed it! The lake was low but still beautiful.
Guide
When I arrived, I found out the water had been turned off for the season and the dump station was closed, this should be noted on the website in a spot where you can’t miss it Almost all the spots are on the slope so there are steps you have to go down to your table. Spots are very close to each other, no privacy. Tables are old, wooden, and slanting in a lot of the spots. The worst part is the traffic noise, I definitely won’t return to this campground.
Camping near Central City, Colorado, offers a mix of stunning views and outdoor adventures. Whether you're pitching a tent or rolling in with an RV, there's something for everyone in this beautiful area.
Camping near Central City, Colorado, is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, but it's good to be prepared. With beautiful campgrounds and plenty of activities, you're sure to have a memorable experience!
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Central City, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, Central City, CO offers a wide range of camping options, with 390 campgrounds and RV parks near Central City, CO and 118 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Central City, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Central City, CO is Deer Creek Campground — Golden Gate Canyon with a 4.6-star rating from 48 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Central City, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 118 free dispersed camping spots near Central City, CO.
What parks are near Central City, CO?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 14 parks near Central City, CO that allow camping, notably Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland and Rocky Mountain National Park.
